Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever wondered how your paddle is certified and who actually decides whether or not it's legal to use in competition? Today, we'll reveal a huge development in the paddle certification space, analyze a pickleball accomplishment that is almost unbelievable, give a masterclass on dinking, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

If you want to play in a tournament or just want to make sure that your paddle is "official" or "legal," then your paddle has to be certified. Currently, the two governing bodies that provide such certifications are USA Pickleball (USAP) and the United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A).

USA Pickleball has been around for 40 years, and has been the governing body for the sport during most of that time, which includes amateur tournaments along with pro tournaments on the APP Tour.

UPA-A was created roughly two and a half years ago with the merger of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP), and it is the governing and equipment-standard body for those two professional entities.

Just last week, the president of UPA-A, Jason Aspes, wrote an extensive piece about why the two governing bodies should come together to create one uniform paddle certification for the good of the sport.

In his essay, Aspes insists that competing certification standards have created confusion among recreational, amateur, and professional pickleball players.

"Two standards cost everyone," Aspes writes. "Manufacturers pay to certify the same paddle twice, against tests that measure different things. Players buy a paddle that is legal at one event and not at the next. It is too confusing and the sport deserves better."

It is worth noting that in his essay, Aspes also accused USA Pickleball of corruption by allowing a paddle company to bypass its certification requirements because it had a relationship with that paddle company.

As a result, Aspes maintains that USA Pickleball has lost the trust of the pickleball community. While those seem like fighting words, Aspes ultimately concludes his piece by extending an olive branch to USA Pickleball.

"Neither organization will like every part," Aspes says. "Each would have to give up control." But how much control will each party be willing to give up?

Arriving at that agreement will take plenty of negotiation. It sounds like a good idea, but will it happen? Time will tell—and we'll keep you posted.

Soft Shots Still Need a Smooth Follow-through!

Just because you're hitting a dink or drop doesn't mean you should cut your swing short. Quick, choppy movements can cause the ball to pop up and lead to costly mistakes. Instead, keep your hand relaxed and follow through to about chest level for better control and consistency. Remember, a softer shot doesn't mean a shorter swing!

A tweener is a difficult shot, and so is an ATP-defense. But a tweener/ATP-defense combo? That's not possible, is it? 👇

Just as the game of pickleball has evolved, so too has the overall experience. The days of using lines on hardwood basketball courts and putting tape down on outdoor tennis courts are behind us. We are our own sport, and at least at the amateur level, we’re as popular as any other sport out there. So now we play on actual pickleball courts at actual pickleball facilities, which are beautiful—or at least they should be. 

That’s where Court Kings comes in. Court Kings is the one-stop shop for pickleball court construction because they handle everything from site prep and concrete work to surfacing, nets, fencing, and consultation. Court Kings installs both acrylic and cushioned court systems, and they help clients choose the right surface and color combination based on their goals, usage, and budget. To learn more, contact [email protected].

When it comes to many star athletes, we often don't appreciate their greatness until after they stop playing. Or perhaps we do appreciate it, but their success is so constant that we become numb to it.

It's as if their dominance is inevitable, predictable, or almost boring—which is extremely unfair to them because not only are they so much better than their competition, but they also have targets on their backs.

By that we mean their competitors are giving it their absolute all to beat these titans of the game because they represent the gold standard—a win against one of these greats would be a career highlight. And STILL, the all-time greats fend them off.

Few athletes ever attain such levels of dominance. Names like Serena Williams, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer are some that come to mind. During their heydays, it was almost automatic that they would win a grand slam, major, or Super Bowl.

Well, it is not hyperbole to add pickleball's Anna Leigh Waters to the list above. Evidence of this is the fact that she just won her 200th career title earlier this month. And no, we didn't accidentally add an extra "0." We mean 200!

Just to medal in a pro pickleball tournament (especially during the past few years as the sport has attracted more and more young players) is extremely impressive. And to actually win a pro tournament is a career accomplishment—for most people.

But for Anna Leigh Waters, it's commonplace—not just in one event, but in every event she plays in: women's doubles, mixed doubles, and singles.

Let's take a look at singles, for example, since that's an event she has complete control over. In other words, we can’t look at her doubles partner and say that he or she had an effect on the outcome, either positively or negatively.

In Waters’ last 100 professional singles matches, guess how many of those she has lost? Pick a number. Do you have it? OK, if you guessed more than 0, you're wrong. Yup, she is 100-0 in that span. In fact, it stretches to even more than 100, as she hasn't lost a singles match in more than two years.

You would think that maybe Waters would have been off one day, or sick, or mentally drained. She either wasn't or if she was, it didn't impact the outcome of the match. (And these are professional pickleball players she's playing against!)

When it comes to these all-time greats, they are rarely dethroned by competitors. Instead, time and age are the only things that rob them of their powers. The only thing is that Anna Leigh Waters is just 19 years old!

We're just hoping that someone in the next few years can come up through the ranks and give Waters some competition. Otherwise, her dominance will continue to be predictable—even though we know it’s amazing. Either way, congrats on 200 titles!

Would you get in this van? 😄👇

If you're reading this, then we assume you like pickleball. And if you're human, then we assume you like feeling good, as opposed to experiencing soreness, aches, and pains. Well, you don't have to deal with that stuff anymore because TheraICE created the most innovative wearable solution that harnesses the proven power of compression and cold therapy.

TheraICE combines reactive relief and proactive prevention, supporting you not only when pain strikes, but also beforehand by keeping your body ready for what’s next. Plus, TheraICE is offering a bundle: buy 2 products and get 15% off, buy 3 products and get 25% off! And when you use code (TPC15), you get an additional 15% off the entire order—or if you just want a single sleeve, you also get 15% off when you use that code!

If you have been following pickleball for many years, then you probably know that before the Anna Leigh Waters era, there was another woman who was—for a period—considered to be the female GOAT. That woman is Simone Jardim, and she stopped by to give us the ultimate guide to dinking. Check it out below. 👇

According to DUPR, Cleveland is the fastest-growing pickleball city in America. That doesn't mean it's the city that's most interested in pickleball by any stretch. It just means that Cleveland has had the biggest increase in DUPR users (71%) over the past 12 months. Rounding out the Top 5 are: Huntsville, AL (+70.6%), Seattle, WA (+70%), Philadelphia, PA (+64%), and Fremont, CA (+62%).

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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